Review: Off Sides (Off Series, #1) by Sawyer Bennett

(Blurb): “I'm not sure what possessed me to do it. Maybe it was the impossible expectations I faced, maybe it was my own self-loathing. But I just knew I needed something different to happen. I needed someone... something... to derail me from my current path. Otherwise, I would become lost... a hollowed out shell of a man. So I did it. I approached her, then I pursued her, then I made her mine. And my life was saved...”

Ryan Burnham is the privileged son of a U.S. Congressman and captain of his university’s hockey team. While he is on the verge of fulfilling his dreams to play in the NHL, his parents want him on a different course. One he is expected to accept for the sake of his family’s public image.

Forced her to abandon her music career after the heart breaking death of her parents, Danny Cross exists on the opposite side of the tracks from Ryan. She is struggling to make her own way, working two jobs, attending college part time and volunteering in a homeless shelter. She is on a mission to build her own success.

With a chance meeting, their vastly different worlds collide, causing each to evaluate whether they are truly on the correct path to self-fulfillment and happiness. Can their relationship survive? Particularly when others are against them every step of the way. A lot can happen in just ten short days...

Review

I really enjoyed Off Sides. For those that read my first review of a Sawyer Bennett book (Off Series: Off Limits, Book #2) you know that I was disappointed. The book wasn't necessarily poorly written, but I felt that the plot could have been a lot better developed and the characters a little more depth. I have to say that Off Sides was very good in comparison!

What I liked
The characters seemed less superficial and were written with more logic to their madness. As a reader, I do not care if the characters have a completely 'realistic' lifestyle (that's a whole discussion in itself). What I do care about is if I can identify a method to their madness. Sawyer did a great job providing that in this book Off Sides, and as a result I found myself a lot more emotionally invested into the characters.


I absolutely loved Ryan and Danny's relationship development! From their first meeting, you could never tell for sure where each of them were going to take it, but their thoughts/actions left you wanting on every page. And when Ryan and Danny have their first date - total book galfriend and boyfriend swoon! I love that Danny isn't afraid to show her edginess to Ryan from the start and in return he accepts everything she playfully throws at him and throws it right back.

What I didn't like
What leaves this book with a four rating is that it gave me nothing beyond a typical plot. This is another rich-meets-poor story and the emotional context never really reaches beyond that. Every upset in the plot deals with socio-economic status and I would have like to see something else add to the conflict.

Overall, this is an enjoyable NA romance that leaves you feeling good about the promise of unconditional, irrevocable love. If you've read too many straightforward plots with little to offer beyond a typical romance development, you might want to wait on this one.

 Ratings:
Romance: Steamy
Character development: ****
Plot progression: ****
 


My Rating



 



Amazon: 4.4
GoodReads: 3.8